"I was doing Meet the Press, and lightning struck a little pond behind my house," Biden told the conference Tuesday. "It came up through the ground into an air conditioning system."
"From the basement to the third floor, the attic, everything was ruined," he added. "We almost lost a couple firefighters, they tell me, because the kitchen floor was burning between beams, and then the house, in addition, almost collapsed into the basement."
An Associated Press report at the time described a "small" fire that was contained to the then-senator's kitchen, though it did mention "heavy smoke."
``Luckily, we got it pretty early,'' Cranston Heights Fire Company Chief George Lamborn told the outlet. ``The fire was under control in 20 minutes.''
So Biden is trying to claim that a "small fire" almost killed a couple of firefighters. Exaggeration as a part of political rhetoric goes back to the earliest days of our country. The difference is that when David Crockett spun his yarns on the campaign trail, no one really believed that he was actually telling the truth. It was understood that he was exaggerating for effect. Yet somehow Biden thinks that he can "exaggerate" regarding all sorts of things that can be easily fact checked, with a straight face, with impunity. At some point, doesn't "exaggeration" simply mean that he's lying, or losing his cognitive abilities?
UPDATE:
Just this morning I saw a video of Biden claiming that Gas was $5.00 a gallon when he took office. In reality I think the average was less than $2,70 when he took office.
I guess folx only object to stupid lies, when it's expedient for them to do so.
13 comments:
I think it should be obvious to any honest person what Trump said versus actual, full-blown lying. Trump is indeed more Davy Crockett-like. Biden's just a liar in a far more chronic way and has a long history of it. Dems didn't care.
I agree that Trump is closer to the Crockett side of exaggeration and hyperbole. Where I think they differ, is that Trump also simply lies when he sees an advantage to doing so.
I think the problem with Biden is that his lies are so bakes into his political history, and are oftentimes so banal that they just get overlooked. I also think that Biden supporters and hardcore Trump supporters are willing to overlook their lies because of some perceived greater good.
I'd also be open to considering that Bidens lies are sometimes an example of cognitive difficulties not intentionally lying.
"Where I think they differ, is that Trump also simply lies when he sees an advantage to doing so."
There's no difference, actually, as even Crockett profited by his exaggeration and hyperbole in the same way...marketing and self-promotion. That's far different than plagiarizing and repeating that which has many times been proven false, which is the difference between Crockett/Trump and Biden.
Biden's lies have always been intentional...made up crap to appear as if he actually is a man with a track record. Trump's "lies" have been to hype his track record...a record of success even if Trump isn't exaggerating. To overlook Trump's "lies" is to ignore the insignificant hyperbole and insinuations (the worst of it). To overlook Biden's is to ignore reality in favor of what's no better than pure fiction.
Biden's history of lying is long and storied and his current mental difficulties doesn't mitigate the fact that he's is and has been the liar Trump is always accused of being. Biden deserves the scorn it seems only Trump gets for far less than Biden has always done.
But here's the greatest difference between to the two: Trump never needed to stretch the truth. Biden can't win without lying like a rug.
Two more of the type of lies Biden tells which are a far cry from the insignificant exaggerations and hyperbole of Trump:
---Beau Biden's brain cancer was due to exposure to burn pits in Iraq.
---Joe Biden's first wife was killed by a drunk trucker.
While one can understand a person seeking reason for tragedies befalling family members, such that a person may come to believe anything in order to provide a legit reason, neither of these are close to true and he wasn't nearly as old and senile as he is now. More telling is that with regard to the first lie, he's admitted there's no solid evidence his belief is true and thus, the lie is in telling it anyway as if it is. With the second lie, it was well known shortly after the incident the trucker was not impaired and that his wife blew a stop sign and was hit.
I can't recall anything Trump ever said which was as egregious a lie as what has been so common from Joe Biden. Far, far too much is made of that which Trump has said, while precious little regarding Biden's true lies...especially from one particular blogger who demeans Trump as horribly corrupt and too dishonest to believe any word coming from him. Such a double standard ranks as a lie itself, and again, a far worse lie than anything I've ever heard from Trump.
The problem with comparing Crockett's rhetorical style to Trump's is that Crockett was engaged in the vernacular of his time, and his exaggerations were clearly intended to be taken that way. He famously told the story of killing 50 bears with 49 bullets, because 2 of the bears were misbehaving. This is clearly and exaggeration, and done so in a way that makes a specific point. Crockett was able to exaggerate his accomplishments for comic effect, because people knew how accomplished he actually was.
Look, I get the Biden has a track record of lies, plagiarism and the like that spans decades. Yet, Biden's record doesn't excuse Trump's playing fast and loose with the truth.
Well, Craig...it would take an actual mind reader to know with your certainty that Trump means to do something different than what Crockett was doing. The thing is, most who support the guy (and some of us who didn't in the beginning) didn't take his nonsense seriously. It seemed foolish to do so, but his detractors seemed to have a real problem separating his schtick from that which actually matters.
I guess I'm on the side that says that if you can't separate someone's honest answers from their dishonest/exaggerated answers or rhetoric, then their is a problem on the part of the one speaking.
The problem with Trump, Biden, and Hillary (among others) is that they have a long and well documented history of lying. For some people, we'd prefer our leaders to tell fewer lies, rather than more lies.
Well of course we would. But who is having trouble separating Trump's honest answers from his hyperbole and self-promotion?
I just came upon this and find it quite relevant. These are lies which I would insist are far, far more dangerous and harmful than any Trump "lie" I've ever heard. I've asked for examples of Trump "lies" which come anywhere near the level of harm as the examples in the link. Still waiting.
I think that the problem is the notion that The Truth isn't valuable, and that some lies are somehow less than others.
Back in WW2 the Allies lied about multiple things in the cause of defeating the Axis, FUSAG being a significant example. IMO those types of lies are the only "acceptable" lies that could be told by government officials.
But that's just me. I'm unlikely to excuse lies as cavalierly as some do when it comes to politicians. When I hear people use the "Politicians always lie." excuse, I find that attitude problematic at minimum.
I agree. My argument is about making more of some than is rational, while minimizing more egregious examples which have had tangible impact.
Art,
My argument is that I'm going to try to hold politicians of both sides to the same standards of honesty, and not make excuses for those on my side don't live up to them. Truth has been under fire for the last 10-15 years as Postmodern thought has gained traction, I see no reason to surrender Truth to society.
Truth, particularly in politics, particularly in Democratic politics, has been under fire for far longer than the last 10-15 years.
For my part, I do indeed expect complete and total honesty...the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us all God...out of all politicians I support. Indeed, I hold my guys to a higher standard, demanding they hold themselves to a higher standard as well. Unfortunately, I have to accept they are only human and too often can play fast and loose with the truth, intentionally or otherwise. MY point is not one of making excuses for anybody, but simply insisting that one prove what is counted among lies are those who have any actual impact on the voting choices of the vast majority of supporters. I believe, without having conducted any polls, that the vast majority of Trump voters have no problem separating fact from fancy when it comes to the many hyperbolic and carnival barker expressions of Donald J. Trump. I see no special advantage of reason for pride for stating the obvious about his propensity for exaggeration, hyperbole and self-promotion.
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